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Derek “iDom” is an American fighting game pro, currently under the XSET banner. A skilled Street Fighter and Guilty Gear player, he came in at second place at EVO this year, having been defeated by Japanese player Kawano. He’s had several first-place finishes in other tournaments, including the East Coast Throwdown, Combo Breaker, and has also had good performances on the Capcom Pro Tour.
Despite being a relatively unknown player just a few years ago, he has grown in skill and recognition, and is currently the 22nd best Street Fighter 5 player, according to the PGRSF 2016-19. In a recent interaction with Sportskeeda’s Jason Parker, Derek spoke about his career, advice for new players, and what he’s excited about in Street Fighter 6.
iDom talks about becoming such a popular fighting game player
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Q. First of all, thanks for taking the time to chat with us! It's well-known that you went from being relatively unknown to now being sponsored by XSET. How does it feel to have come so far in such a few years?
iDom: Honestly, it’s been a real blessing being able to do what I’m really good at for a living. Shout out to XSET for giving me a shot under their banner and allowing me to succeed. Great recognizes great!
Q. As a long-time Street Fighter 5 player, you're also well-known for your skill with Laura. What led you to choose her over other characters?
iDom: When I was trying out a lot of the characters in Street Fighter 5 and I got to Laura, there was something that just clicked with me when I picked her and I played her. Honestly, I just had a lot of fun playing her.
Q. You have had an exceptional year in Street Fighter 5, with a number of impressive finishes, including 2nd at EVO 2022. What was it like to play Kawano? How do you feel about the overall performance?
iDom: I have felt like I've been playing pretty well this season in terms of tournaments. I've played against Kawano before. I can definitely see that he has improved a lot since the last time we played.
Q. Was there anyone at EVO that you were hoping to play against, casual or in tournament play?
iDom: The only person I really wanted to play, really badly, was Daigo and luckily, I got to play him in top 8, so I was happy with that.
Q. You're also a pretty active Guilty Gear -Strive- player. Now that other GG games are getting rollback, are you interested in going back to those games, if tournaments pop up for them?
iDom: With older games like Xrd getting rollback, I am really excited to play the older GG titles too! But I am waiting for the best fighting game ever, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 to get rollback.
Q. What about Street Fighter 6, though? Have you been keeping up with all of the news about the upcoming title?
iDom: I've been super excited for SF6. All the mechanics and everything else that’s been presented so far look amazing. It seems like a lot of people are excited about the game.
Q. If Laura isn't in the game to main, do you have thoughts on who you'd like to play, such as Kimberly?
iDom: From the trailers, Manon or JP look like the main characters I want to try. From the beta, Kimberly and Jamie look like the characters that will be very good. I'll get to dive deeper with these characters when the game finally comes out.
Q. Will you be taking part in the Closed Beta for SF6? If so, is there anything or anyone you're particularly excited about learning about?
iDom: Yes, I will be participating in the closed beta. I'm just really excited to see the difference between characters from their previous iterations and figure out how I can further evolve my playstyle.
Q. Although Street Fighter 5 is on the way out, there's still lots of time to compete and get better. Any advice for players who are picking it up and struggling to grow?
iDom: If you like Street Fighter 5, my advice would be to keep playing and keep grinding. There have been plenty of players picking up steam and playing amazingly throughout the final year of SFV.
Q. Sometimes, players get in their own way when playing fighting games, whether thinking they're unbeatable, or thinking they can't win. Any advice to improve a struggling player's mental game?
iDom: For anyone struggling that thinks fighting games are too hard, I would say, remember that everyone has gone through that before and try to take each game as a lesson and try to make it fun for yourself.
Q. What's on the horizon for you? Other than fighting games, are there any titles coming out that you're particularly excited for?
iDom: I've really been having fun making a lot of YouTube content and helping the NYC fighting game scene grow. Some upcoming titles I’m really looking forward to are God of War Ragnorok, Bayonetta 3, and Diablo 4.
Derek can be found on Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch, where he regularly keeps his fans updated and creates new content.
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